JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 15, 2010) - The ETSU baseball team is set to host Mercer in a three-game conference series starting Friday at 7 p.m. at Cardinal Park as the Bucs look to create some separation in the Atlantic Sun.

The Bucs and Bears close out the series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. with the second game to follow approximately 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.

The Bucs (19-13, 8-4 A-Sun) come into the series having won six of seven weekend series on the year including taking two of three from Jacksonville last weekend. Junior Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) continues to amaze as he leads the conference in average (.450), slugging (.893), on base percentage (.532) and doubles (17).

ETSU is 5-12 all-time against the Bears. Last year, the Bucs grabbed two of three games from Mercer on the road as the Bucs have won three of the last four meetings.

The Bears (20-18, 5-7 A-Sun) have lost four of their last five including three to Stetson last weekend. As a team, Mercer is hitting .333 with 95 doubles, 52 home runs and 296 RBI. Sophomore Jacob Tanis leads the way for the Bears hitting .372 with a conference best 17 home runs and 65 runs driven in.

Friday night is date night at Cardinal Park as all couples with receive two-for-one admission and will have a chance to win free prizes.

Live stats and audio are available for all three games by clicking the links above. The Friday contest can also be heard live on the radio on the Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation's family of stations, which include WKPT-AM (1400) and WKPT-FM (94.3) in Kingsport, WOPI-AM (1490) and WOPI-FM (97.9) in Bristol, and WKTP-AM (1590) and WKTP-FM (97.7) in Johnson City. Tune in one half hour before the game to catch all analysis on the Atmos Energy Dugout show, and don't forget to stay with us after the game on the 10th Inning Show presented by General Shale.

For more information on Buccaneer baseball or any other athletic news, please visit www.ETSUBucs.com.